[Sca-cooks] Wanted: Ash Tree Keys/Seeds

[Drew Shiel]

  The ash keys are small, and can't carry wood beetles, so moving them
should be fine.

  I'm in Ireland; Ash is essentially a weed tree here, and we have a
few good specimens around. Indeed, we had to cut down one in the back
garden a couple of years ago, and the stump proved so hard to extract
we had to bury it instead.

  If anyone is looking for keys, let me know the weight you want, and
I'll set the household to gathering them, and post them to you - they
won't be gatherable as such for a month or two yet, so you've some
lead time. Do also let me know if you want them from the tree (still
green) or fallen (brown, usually). They do stay on tree for quite some
time after the leaves have fallen, alright.

  Aodh.

On Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 11:39 PM, Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com> wrote:
> We've lost our ash trees here due to the invasive
> Emerald Ash Borer.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_ash_borer
> http://stopthebeetle.info/
>
> I know you can't move firewood. I am uncertain if ash keys would be on the prohibited list of ash products.
>
> Johnnae
>
> On Aug 25, 2012, at 12:22 PM, lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:snipped
>>
>> In my attempt to recreate Atraf al-Tib, i am searching for Ash Tree Keys. These are the seeds of the tree encased in a wing-like leafy fibrous coating. Unlike Maple Keys, which have two wings and spiral beautifully, Ash Keys have a more tongue-like shape, in keeping with the Arabic name of that mystery ingredient.
>> Photo of keys of one type of ash:
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fraxinus_excelsior_4560.jpg
>> I've read that they can even stay on the tree until spring. I also posted here some time ago a message i received which said they have something of a bitter-almond taste and were used in European cooking at some point. snipped
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-- 
http://about.me/drewshiel
"Luck affects everything. Let your hook always be cast; in the stream
where you least expect it there will be a fish." -- Ovid.